"En ledig dag" (transl. "A Day Off") is a Swedish song with lyrics by Bengt Sten,[1] originally released in 1967 by Swedish singer Östen Warnerbring. The melody is based on the 1964 Italian song "Weekend in Portofino", composed by Bruno De Filippi [it] with lyrics by Matteo Chiosso and recorded by Gian Costello [it].[1] A cover version was the debut single released by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

Östen Warnerbring version

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"En ledig dag"
Single by Östen Warnerbring
LanguageSwedish
B-side"Sommarvind"
Released1967
Length3:25
Composer(s)Bruno De Filippi
Lyricist(s)Bengt Sten

Warnerbring's version, first released on the EP Sommarvind in February 1967, was backed by Marcus Österdahl's Orchestra.[2] The song then released as a single[3] and was a minor hit, charting in the Svensktoppen at 9th place in June 1967, staying in the chart for 1 week.[4]

Charts

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Chart (1967) Peak
position
Sweden (Svenkstoppen) 9

Anni-Frid Lyngstad version

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"En ledig dag"
 
Single by Anni-Frid Lyngstad
from the album Anni-Frid Lyngstad
LanguageSwedish
B-side"Peter kom tillbaka"
ReleasedSeptember 1967
Recorded11 September 1967[1]
StudioEuropafilm Studio, Stockholm
Genre
Length2:55
LabelHis Master's Voice
Composer(s)Bruno De Filippi
Lyricist(s)Bengt Sten
Producer(s)Olle Bergman
Anni-Frid Lyngstad singles chronology
"En ledig dag"
(1967)
"Din"
(1967)

Background

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Dagen-H performance, recording session

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After winning the Swedish talent competition Nya ansikten ("New Faces") in the national final held at Skansen on 3 September 1967, Lyngstad performed the song live on TV the same night. The day was Dagen H (right hand traffic reorganization day), when Sweden changed from left-hand to right-hand traffic. Lyngstad's first professional recording session was on 11 September 1967 at Europafilm Studio, Stockholm, when she recorded the vocals for "En ledig dag" in a single take.[5]

Legacy and impact

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Lyngstad's version of "En ledig dag" did not enter the Svensktoppen chart but had circulated in the Toppentipset chart at 11th place on 15 October 1967[6] and 13th place the following week.[7] Most of Lyngstad's continuous singles had this fate.[5] She did not reach to her breakthrough until two years later, she appeared as a contestant for Melodifestivalen, singing "Härlig är vår jord", and toured with Charlie Norman's cabaret shows.[5] Nonetheless, this single marked the turning point of Anni-Frid's life that her singing career would become successful in the future.[citation needed] This single was originally released as a non-album single in September 1967, but has been included on her compilation albums, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Tre kvart från nu and Frida 1967–1972.

Charts

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Chart (1967) Peak
position
Sweden (Toppentipset) 11

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Frida 1967 - 1972". Discogs. 1997. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Sommarvind".
  3. ^ "En Ledig Dag".
  4. ^ Radio, Sveriges (2024-03-24). "Svensktoppen 1967-06-18 - Svensktoppen". sverigesradio.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  5. ^ a b c "Frida 1967 - 1972 Liner Notes, English translation". Carl Magnus Palm. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Toppentipset". Aftonbladet. 15 October 1967. p. 11.
  7. ^ "Toppentipset". Aftonbladet. 22 October 1967. p. 32.